What To Get The Reenactor in Your Life

There is a challenge to buying gifts for the reeanctor in your life.  Where do you get a sword or a Queen Anne pistol?  You can’t walk into your local department store and pull a 14th century gown off the rack.

Gift giving doesn’t have to be a daunting task if you realize that:

Your reenactor spends a lot of time outdoors in all kinds of weather.  An all-weather blanket will keep your reenactor warm and dry.  Any kind of clear, see through raingear (even a box of disposal plastic ponchos) will keep the reenactor dry and won’t hide the garb they are wearing.  A small umbrella for the rain and a parasol for when it’s sunny are also good ideas.

Your reenactor travels a lot.  A GPS, a gas card, EZ pass, AAA membership, travel mugs, all might be welcome gifts.

Reenactors have a lot of early mornings, so a gift card to the place they frequently get their caffeine fix is a good idea.

Reenactors read a lot so a gift card to their favorite bookseller is a good idea.  I don’t recommend buying a specific book unless it’s requested.  You don’t want to take the chance the reenactor already has the book.

On the subject of gift cards, if the person on your list sews or makes jewelry, a gift card to a craft or fabric store will work.

Reenactors carry a lot of stuff.  A carryon for a change of clothes, travel pouches for jewelry, insulated bags and coolers for food and drinks are some gift ideas.

Not only do they carry a lot of stuff, they have a lot of stuff, so storage items like plastic bins, storage systems, and bookcases might be a good idea

Like everyone else, reenactors need to be organized.  How about an engagement calendar to keep track of festivals, journals to jot down notes during a meeting or ideas, small notepads to take on the road to write down everything from directions to the name of new contacts, binders and folders to organize everything from contracts to article clippings.

Sometimes looking at modern items with an historic eye can lead to some gift giving ideas.  I saw a wide brim hat in Target that with one side pined up would make an excellent cavalier hat, the fingerless gloves that are used for texting will work for your pirate, and the pashminas in the classic patterns can work as a shawl for some periods and when tied around the waist makes a nice looking pirate sash.

One last item: Have a Happy Holiday, mates!